DE ANZA COLLEGE

LANGUAGE ARTS DIVISION

COURSE OUTLINE

 

English Writing 1A

Effective Quarter Fall 2002

Degree Applicable

I. Course Information

EWRT 1A

Composition and Reading

5 Units

 

Prerequisite(s): English writing 100B and Reading 100 (or language Arts 100), or English as a Second Language 24 and 72 (or English as a Second language 4); or consent of English Department Chair; or equivalent placement (normally based on results of English Placement Test).

Co-requisite: None

Grading Scale: Pass-No Pass (P-NP) course

Duration: Five hours lecture, one additional hour to be arranged.

Short Course Description: Introduction to academic reading and writing. Close examination of a variety of texts (personal, popular, literary, professional, and academic) from culturally diverse traditions. Practice in common rhetorical strategies used in academic writing. Composition of clear, well-organized, and well-developed essays, with varying purposes and differing audiences, from personal to academic.

II. Course Objectives

The Student will:

A.     As an introduction to the discipline of "composition,” compare various kinds of texts and levels of                                                                                  discourse and identify the role of academic writing among them.    

B.     Read diverse narrative and expository texts and analyze them from a variety of perspectives

C.     Generate ideas and topics for essays

D.     Formulate and support theses

E.      Integrate and organize ideas

F.      Develop personal style/voice appropriate to purpose and audience

G.     Identify and practice common rhetorical strategies used in academic writing

H.     Practice writing as a multi-step process, with particular attention to planning and revision

I.        Compose essays with varying purposes and differing audiences, from personal to academic

 

III. Essential Student Materials

None

IV. Essential College Facilities

None

V. Expanded Description: Content and Form

Students will:

A.     Compare various kinds of texts and levels of discourse, such as some of those listed below, and identify the role of academic writing among them

1.      Language and nonverbal communication

      2.   Oral and written modes of discourse

3.      Narrative and expository/analytical writing

4.      Visual and verbal modes of expression (in advertising, news, etc.) (Media literacy)

5.      Popular stories and literature

6.      Personal and academic writing

  1. Textbooks and scholarly writing

 

B.     Read rhetorically and culturally diverse narrative and expository texts and analyze them from a variety of perspectives, such as:

1.      Ethnicity and culture

2.      Social class

3.      Gender and sexual orientation

4.      Historical context

5.      Political position

6.      Rhetorical purpose and audience

 

C.     Generate ideas and topics for essays by methods such as:

1.      Brainstorming

2.      Free writing

3.      Visual structures (clustering, mapping, trees)

4.      Lists and outlines

  1. Response journals (reading logs)

 

D.     Formulate and support theses

1.      Relationship between main idea and supporting points

2.      Types of evidence

3.      Illustrative examples and details

4.      Acknowledgment of alternative positions

 

E.      Integrate and organize ideas through devices such as

1.      Repetition of key words

2.      Pronouns

  1. Transitional words and phrases

4.      Summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation of ideas from other sources

 

F.      Develop personal style/voice appropriate to purpose and audience through activities such as

1.      Oral presentations; role-playing

2.      Collaborative analysis of texts and issues; collaborative writing; active listening

3.      Writing rhetorically diverse essays; peer review

 

G.     Identify and practice common rhetorical strategies used in academic writing, such as:

1.      Defining

2.      Summarizing

3.      Serializing (sequential relationships)

4.      Classifying

5.      Comparing

  1. Analyzing (theoretical perspectives)

 

H.     Practice writing as a multi-step process, with particular attention to planning and revision

1.      Generating ideas

2.      Collecting information

3.      Planning, organizing

4.      Drafting

5.      Getting feedback (peer review)

6.      Revising

  1. Proofreading, editing

 

I.        Compose essays with varying purposes and differing audiences, from personal to academic, such as:

1.      Narrative essays based on personal experiences, reading, etc.

2.      Academic essays focusing on specific rhetorical activities such as defining, summarizing, serializing, and classifying

3.      Analytical or interpretive essays

4.      Argumentative essays

VI. Assignments

A. Reading (rhetorically and culturally diverse texts, approx. 300-700 total pages, including :)

1.  Substantial amount of challenging, college-level reading

2.  At least one book-length work

3.  Guide to rhetoric and usage, as desired

       

B. Writing (at least 6000 words of rhetorically diverse writing assignments)

               1.  At least one in-class essay or essay-based midterm (or equivalent limited-time writing assignment   for Distance Education)

      2. A sequence of at least four out-of-class essays, with varying purposes and differing audiences, from          personal to academic

      3. Final exam (predominantly essay)

C. Optional additional assignments that support course objectives, such as:

1.      Oral presentations

2.      Informal, exploratory writing (journals)

VII. Methods of Evaluating Objectives

(at least 75% of final grade to be based on written work, i.e., A and B below)

A.     Essays, as listed in Assignments above, carefully evaluated according to clarity/correctness, organization/coherence, and development/depth

B.     Final exam (essay(s) evaluated according to criteria listed above)

C.     Quizzes (e.g., to monitor reading) and other exams

D.     Class participation, including activities such as oral presentations, small-group activities and projects, and class discussions and debates

VII. Texts and Supporting References

The instructor should feel free to use any texts, including those not on this list, that support the objectives of the course.

A.     Anthologies

1.      Bassett, Randall K. Border Texts: Cultural Readings for Contemporary Writers.

New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.

2.   Brunk, Terence et al. Literacies: Reading, Writing, Interpretation. Second Edition.

New York: Norton, 2000.

3.   Colombo, Gary, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle.Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for

      Critical Thinking and Writing. Fourth Edition. New York: St. Martin's, 1999.         

4.      Dilks, Stephen et al. Cultural Conversations: The Presence of the Past.

      Boston: Bedford/St.Marton’s,  2001.

5.      Ford, Marjorie, and Jon Ford. Dreams and Inward Journeys. Fourth Edition.

            New York: Longman, 2001.

6.      *George, Diana, and John Trimbur. Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and

       Writing. Fourth Edition. New York: Longman, 2001.

7.      LaGuardia, Dolores, and Hans P. Guth. American Voices: Culture and Community. 4th

      Edition. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 2000.

8.      Lunsford, Andrea A., and John J. Ruszkiewicz. The Presence of Others. 3rd Edition.

            New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999.

9.      Maasik, Sonia, and J. Fisher Solomon. California Dreams and Realities: Readings for Critical   

      Thinkers and Writers. Second Edition. New York: St. Martin’s, 1999.

10.  McQuade, Donald, and Christine McQuade. Seeing and Writing. New York: St. Martin’s, 2000.

11.  Miller, Robert Keith. Motives for Writing. 3rd Edition. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1999.

12.  Rose, Mike, and Malcolm Kiniry. Critical Strategies for Academic Thinking and Writing. Third Edition. New York: St. Martin’s, 1998.

13.  Rosenwasser, David, and Jill Stephen. Writing Analytically. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1999.

14.  Troiano, Edna M., and Julia D. Scott. The Contemporary Writer. Upper Saddle River,

            NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001.

15.  Scholes, Robert, Janice Peritz, and Nancy R. Conley. The Practice of Writing. Fifth Edition. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000.

16.  Stanford, Judith. Connections: Reading and Writing in Cultural Contexts. Third Edition. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 2001.

 

B.     Book-Length Texts

1.      Boyle, T. Coraghessan. The Tortilla Curtain. New York: Penguin, 1996.

2.      Dawkins, Richard. The Selfish Gene. New York: Oxford, 1990.

3.      Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Ed.     Houston A. Baker, Jr. New York: Penguin, 1985.

4.      Eggers, Dave. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. New York: Vintage, 2001.

5.      Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine. New York: Bantam, 1984.

6.      Gilmore, Mikal. Shot in the Heart. New York: Anchor, 1995.

7.      Jin, Ha. In the Pond. New York: Vintage, 2000.

8.      Kingston, Maxine Hong. Woman Warrior. New York: Vintage, 1990.

9.      Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Interpreter of Maladies. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.

10.  McBride, James. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother.

             New York: Riverhead, 1997.

11.  Ozeki, Ruth L. My Year of Meats. New York: Viking, 1999.

12.  Pham, Andrew X. Catfish and Mandala. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999.

13.  Ramirez, Juan. A Patriot After All. Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico Press, 1999.

14.  Rodriguez, Richard. Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez.

            New York: Bantam, 1983.

15.  Rose, Mike. Lives on the Boundary. New York: Penguin, 1990.

16.  Tannen, Deborah. You Just Don’t Understand. New York: Ballantine, 1991.

17.  Wiesenthal, Simon et al. The Sunflower. Revised, expanded edition. New York: Schocken, 1998.

 

C.     Handbooks on Rhetoric and Usage

1.      Hacker, Diana. The Bedford Handbook. 5th Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000.

2.      Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. 4th Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000.

3.      Hairston, Maxine. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers. 5th Edition.

            New York: Longman, 1999.

4.      Kennedy, X J. et al. Bedford Guide for College Writers With Reader and Research Manual.

   Fourth Edition. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999.

5.      Strunk, William, Jr., E. B. White, et al. The Elements of Style. Fourth Edition.

             Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2000.

6.      Trimble, John R. Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing. Second Edition.NewYork: Prentice-Hall, 2000.

7.      Troyka, Lynn Quitman. Simon and Schuster Handbook for Writers. Fifth Edition.

            Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.

 

D.     Supporting References

1.      Bartholmae, David and Anthony Petrosky. Facts, Counterfacts, Artifacts: Theory and Method for a Reading and Writing Course. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1986.

2.   Cooper, C.R., and L. Odell. Evaluating Writing: The Role of Teachers’ Knowledge about Text, Learning, and Culture. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 1999.

3.      Elbow, Peter. Writing Without Teachers. London: Oxford, 1973.

4.      Elbow, Peter, and P. Belanoff. A Community of Writers: A Workshop Course in Writing. New York: Random House, 1989.

5.      Emig, Janet. The Web of Meaning. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1983.

6.    Graves, Richard L. Ed. Rhetoric and Composition: A Sourcebook for Teachers and Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1983.

7.      Grubb, W.N. Honored but Invisible: An Inside Look at Teaching in Community Colleges. New York: Routledge, 1999.

8.      Harklau, L., et al.(Eds).Generation 1.5 Meets College Composition: Issues in the Teaching of Writing to U.S.-Educated Learners of ESL. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1999.

9.      Johnson, D.W., et al. Active Learning: Cooperation in the College Classroom.

Edina, MN: Interaction, 1991.

10.  Kutz, E., et al. The Discovery of Competence: Teaching and Learning with Diverse Student

Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1993.

11.  Lindemann, Erika. A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. 2nd ed. London: Oxford, 1987.

12.  Shaughnessy, Mina. Errors and Expectations: A Guide for the Teacher of Basic Writing.

London: Oxford, 1977.